Hybrid Learning

Our Return to School Buildings

Our Plan:

All schools across the district will phase in hybrid instruction on the same schedule (not on a school-by-school basis.) For example, all Highline kindergarten students will start hybrid instruction the same week.

Elementary grades will return before middle and high school based on public health guidance. Data indicates that young children have a lower risk of transmitting COVID-19.

Teachers will have either a hybrid class (in-person + distance learning) or a fully remote class.

Families may opt to have their students continue in distance learning.

Elementary and IAC Return to School Buildings

Phase 1: Students served in Integrated Learning Center (ILC) and Community Based Services (CBS)
Phase 2: Pre-K, Kindergarten, grade 1, and students K-12 in our Intensive Academic Center (IAC)
Phase 3: Grades 2 and 3
Phase 4: Grades 4 and 5

Middle and High School Return to School Buildings

We are continuing to plan for in-person instruction for middle and high school students and will begin as public health authorities recommend it.

data guiding our decision to return

Our primary guidance is the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Decision Tree for schools. (This information presented below in an ADA-accessible format.) Key data points are:

Number of of positive cases/100,000 residents/14 days
Test positivity rate
Trend in cases or hospitalization rates

Highline’s current status on two of these key data points is found here and updated at least weekly. Note that while we are tracking COVID rates in all neighborhoods within Highline’s boundaries, we will make decisions based on the highest rates in Highline. We will open schools when the neighborhood with the highest COVID rate is within the guidelines set by DOH. We will not open some schools and keep others closed.

Washington State Department of Health Guidance for In-Person Learning

Washington State Department of Health Guidance for In-Person Learning

COVID-19 High Activity

More than 350 cases per 100,000 in a 14 day period
Test positivity greater than 10%
Consider trends in cases and hospitalizations

REcommended Education Modality:

Phase in in-person learning in groups of 15 or fewer students for pre-K through grade 5 and those with highest needs
Prioritize Pre-K through grade 3, and students in any grade with disabilities, students living homeless, or those farthest from educational justice
If schools can demonstrate the ability to limit transmission in the school environment, add grades 4-5

COVID-19 Moderate Activity

Between 50 and 350 cases per 100,000 in a 14 day period
Test positivity between 5 and 10%
Consider trends in cases and hospitalizations

recommended Education Modality:

Prioritize elementary (Pre-K through grade 5) if they are not already receiving in-person learning and middle school
If schools can demonstrate the ability to limit transmission in the school environment, add more high school students when case rates are below about 200 cases per 100,000 people in a 14 day period.

COVID-19 Low Activity

Fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 in a 14 day period
Test positivity between 5 and 10%
Consider trends in cases and hospitalizations

recommended educationa modality:

Provide in-person learning for all students

Source: Washington State Department of Health

Scheduling FAQs

What is the schedule for in-person instruction?

Will students from the same family have the same scheduled times in school?

Will transportation be provided?

When will middle and high school students return?

When will families know who their teacher will be?

Will students keep the teacher they have now?

We value the deep student-family-teacher relationships that have formed and will do our best to avoid reassigning students to new teachers.

Unfortunately, some reassignments may be unavoidable. Not all staff will be able to teach in person due to health risks. A teacher’s in-person or remote assignment will not match up with the preferences of every family in their class.

Additionally, teachers and principals have given strong feedback that teaching both remote students and hybrid students would not be feasible, both in terms of workload and educational effectiveness.

We have learned from another Washington school district that initially tried to keep teachers and classes together and found it so unworkable that they are now reassigning students into hybrid or fully remote classes with different teachers.

Why are hybrid students only in person for 2.25 hours a day?

When selecting a model for hybrid learning, we considered two different schedules: two full days each week or four partial days (AM/PM). Based in part on teacher and principal feedback, the half-day model was chosen for elementary school students.

In the AM/PM model, students have more consistent contact with their teachers (almost daily, as opposed to five days without contact.) Teachers can use in-person time to prepare students for the remote work they will complete in the next 24 hours. If students have questions, they can receive real-time in-person support from their teacher the next school day.

The AM/PM model has the same amount of instructional time as the two-full-day model. (In AM/PM, students are at school for fewer minutes because they don't have lunch or recess on site.)

AM/PM session times are based on the contracted teacher workday (8:45 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.) and the need for time between cohorts for transporting students and cleaning classroom surfaces.

Menu

Office Hours:

Popular Pages

Search Site

Find Staff

Translate